Steven Carter has swept well over 40,000 chimneys in the old English tradition since founding Chimney Sweeps, Inc. in 1985.

“Our philosophy is that your chimney is part of your home,” Carter said. “If the chimney goes bad, the house goes bad. We take care of your chimney, so we take care of your home. We believe in honesty and ethics.”

Chimney Sweeps, Inc. values ​​integrity and good work and can prove it with an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

“If there is something wrong with your chimney or something is unsafe, we can find it and fix it,” he said.

Chimney Sweeps, Inc. are licensed chimney sweeps (License #976438) and fully certified chimney sweeps through the National Fireplace Institute. This is one of the reasons they have a customer base of over 30,000 customers from Chula Vista to Fallbrook and all areas in between.

“Our cylinders are very popular and in high demand,” said Carter.

Chimney Sweeps, Inc. is a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild and follows the advice of the National Fire Protection Association and adheres to fire department recommendations.

“They all recommend getting a safety inspection of your chimney once a year, checking for debris, structural defects and wear and tear,” Carter said. “And part of that inspection will include aspects of your roof, which we will also check.”

Carter said the best time for a chimney inspection is spring, summer and early fall.

“In the late fall and winter months we are so busy that it can be very difficult to get an appointment,” Carter said.

After your first inspection, you can schedule your next inspection for the following year. Carter advises his customers to ask Chimney Sweeps, Inc. any questions they have about their chimney.

“And remember, you can call us anytime if you need advice,” he said.

For more information about Chimney Sweeps, Inc., visit fireplacesweepsinc.com or call (619) 593-4020.

The post Chimney Sweeps: Have you ever had your chimney checked this yr? appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Houston-based Hines submitted an action plan to fix its four-year-old building after two floods caused by a faulty sprinkler system deemed it uninhabitable, according to the San Francisco Business Times.

The firm received a plumbing permit to repair a section of 33 Tehama in San Francisco’s fire sprinkler system that caused the “reoccurring leaks,” public records show. A Hines spokesperson told the Business Times that the company now has 30 days to make repairs to the standpipe, but added that it will “amend the permits” if more time is needed.

Magnusson Klemencic Associates, the structural engineer of record, inspected the property after the incidents and came to the conclusion that “there has been no structural impact to the building,” according to the plan, which was filed with the Department of Building Inspection.

The initial incident in June that caused this call to action was a failure of a coupling on the 35th (top) floor standpipe, which resulted in 20,000 gallons of water flooding the building.

The most recent incident was another water leak that caused the evacuation of 10 residents and 15 construction workers last month. That leak was caused by a pipe being disconnected at the same standpipe that caused the first flood.

DBI issued the action plan after visiting the building in August and delivered Hines a Notice of Violation on Aug. 16. The notice’s aim was to pressure the firm to begin working on the required repairs.

Hines hired Turner Construction to complete the repairs of the 403-unit SoMa building. They did not disclose any estimated costs for the repairs.

The most recent flood happened weeks after Hines changed reoccupation timelines presented in June for the building, where it told residents that the building would remain uninhabitable until late this year or early next year. Residents were initially told they would be able to return in phases between August and October. The new goal is a return during the first half of 2023.

Hines told the business times that it “will not have a more accurate target timeline until our assessments of the fire suppression system and electrical system are complete.”

The firm stopped providing financial assistance to displaced residents and said residents may terminate their lease or come back to the building when it is safe. Residents have not been obligated to pay rent since Aug. 18.

Hines and Invesco delivered the building in 2018. Lendlease Group was the general contractor; Arquitectonica was the architect.

— Pawan Naidu

Read more

The post Hines Condominium Constructing Uninhabitable Till at Least Early Subsequent 12 months appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO — One year ago, billionaire and new owner Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters with a white bathroom sink and a grin, fired its CEO and other top executives and began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X.

X looks and feels something like Twitter, but the more time you spend on it the clearer it becomes that it’s merely an approximation. Musk has dismantled core features of what made Twitter, Twitter — its name and blue bird logo, its verification system, its Trust and Safety advisory group. Not to mention content moderation and hate speech enforcement.

He also fired, laid off or lost the majority of its workforce — engineers who keep the site running, moderators who keep it from being overrun with hate, executives in charge of making rules and enforcing them.

FILE – A workman removes a character from a sign on the Twitter headquarters building in San Francisco, July 24, 2023. One year ago, Elon Musk began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

Godofredo A. Vásquez

The result, long-term Twitter watchers say, has been the end of the platform’s role as an imperfect but useful place to find out what’s going on in the world. What X will become, and whether Musk can achieve his ambition of turning it into an “everything app” that everyone uses, remains as unclear as it was a year ago.

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“Musk hasn’t managed to make a single meaningful improvement to the platform and is no closer to his vision of an ‘everything app,’ than he was a year ago,” said Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg. “Instead, X has driven away users, advertisers, and now it has lost its primary value proposition in the social media world: Being a central hub for news.”

As one of the platform’s most popular and prolific users even before he bought the company, Musk had a unique experience on Twitter that is markedly different from how regular users experience it. But many of the changes he’s introduced to X has been based on his own impressions of the site — in fact, he even polled his millions of followers for advice on how to run it (they said he should step down).

“Musk’s treatment of the platform as a technology company that he could remake and his vision rather than a social network fueled by people and ad dollars has been the single largest cause of the demise of Twitter,” Enberg said.

FILE – Twitter’s blue bird is seen on its headquarters building in San Francisco, July 24, 2023. One year ago, Elon Musk began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

Godofredo A. Vásquez

The blue checkmarks that once signified that the person or institution behind an account was who they said they are — a celebrity, athlete, journalist from global or local publication, a nonprofit agency — now merely shows that someone pays $8 a month for a subscription service that boosts their posts above un-checked users. It’s these paying accounts that have been found to spread misinformation on the platform that is often amplified by its algorithms.

On Thursday, for instance, a new report from the left-leaning nonprofit Media Matters found that numerous blue-checked X accounts with tens of thousands of followers claimed that the mass shooting in Maine was a “false flag,” planned by the government. Researchers also found such accounts spreading misinformation and propaganda about the Israel-Hamas war — so much so that the European Commission made a formal, legally binding request for information to X over its handling of hate speech, misinformation and violent terrorist content related to the war.

Ian Bremmer, a prominent foreign policy expert, posted on X this month that the level of disinformation on the Israel-Hamas war “being algorithmically promoted” on the platform “is unlike anything I’ve ever been exposed to in my career as a political scientist.”

File – A pile of characters removed from a sign on the Twitter headquarters building are seen in San Francisco, Monday, July 24, 2023. One year ago, Elon Musk began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X. (AP Photo/Godofredo A.Vásquez, File)

Godofredo A. Vásquez

It’s not just the platform’s identity that’s on shaky grounds. Twitter was already struggling financially when Musk purchased it for $44 billion in a deal that closed Oct. 27, 2022, and the situation appears more precarious today. Musk took the company private, so its books are no longer public — but in July, the Tesla CEO said the company had lost about half of its advertising revenue and continues to face a large debt load.

“We’re still negative cash flow,” he posted on the site on July 14, due to a about a “50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load.”

“Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else,” he said.

In May, Musk hired Linda Yaccarino, a former NBC executive with deep ties to the advertising industry in an attempt to lure back top brands, but the effort has been slow to pay off. While some advertisers have returned to X, they are not spending as much as they did in the past — despite a rebound in the online advertising market that boosted the most recent quarterly profits for Facebook parent company, Meta, and Google parent company, Alphabet.

Insider Intelligence estimates that X will bring in $1.89 billion in advertising revenue this year, down 54% from 2022. The last time its ad revenue was near this level was in 2015, when it came in at $1.99 billion. In 2022, it was $4.12 billion.

Outside research also shows that people are using X less.

File – Workers install lighting on an “X” sign atop the company headquarters, formerly known as Twitter, in San Francisco, on July 28, 2023. One year ago, Elon Musk began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Noah Berger

According to research firm Similarweb, global web traffic to Twitter.com was down 14%, year-over-year, and traffic to the ads.twitter.com portal for advertisers was down 16.5%. Performance on mobile was no better, down 17.8% year-over-year based on combined monthly active users for Apple’s iOS and Android.

“Even though the cultural relevance of Twitter was already starting to decline,” before Musk took it over, “it’s as if the platform no longer exists. And it’s been a death by a thousand cuts,” Enberg said.

“What’s really fascinating is that almost all of the wounds have been self-inflicted. Usually when a social platform, starts to lose its relevance there are at least some external factors at play, but that’s not the case here.”x

How to take a break from social media

Be easy on yourself and ask for help about social media use

“If you’re reading this article, kudos to you for thinking about reevaluating social media,” Agarwal said Trying to meet your goals is all about celebrating the small wins.

At the least, set small benchmarks for yourself like spending 10 minutes less on social media than the day before. The right amount of social media time is different for everyone since some people actually use these apps to brand and help market themselves. Find your own social media sweet spot, and remember, even if you scroll too much on social media one day, you can try and meet your goal tomorrow.

Another way to keep you on track is to share your goal with someone you trust. A friend or loved one who can kindly nudge you when they notice you’ve been on social media for awhile.

Image by Marie from Pixabay

Helpful exercise to remind you what you’re missing by scrolling

Scrolling through social media while hanging out with friends isn’t uncommon nowadays, but when you think about how unengaged you are in those moments, it can put social media use into perspective.

Agarwal suggests the next time you’re in a room with others at a family or friends gathering and you see yourself scrolling through social media instead of engaging with others, take a minute to physically remove yourself from the room and isolate in another room. Listen and feel how much you may be missing out on.

“What that does is it gives your brain a signal. If you force yourself to leave the room, you realize how much you’re using that app and missing out on other people,” Agarwal said. “It’s a good physical reminder of being present in the moment and not on your on your phone and scrolling through social media.”

Image by natureaddict from Pixabay

Use your phone’s screen-time tracking feature and limit social media use

Most smart phones nowadays track your screen-time and usage already. It’s a good idea to figure out your average screen time per day so you have a benchmark that you can work on.

On iPhone, you can go into your “Screen Time” settings, which displays the amount of time you spend on each app and allows you to put timers on specific apps to limit how long you’re on them. Android phones have similar features in the “Digital Wellbeing” settings. Additionally, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok offer the same features within the app settings themselves.

Image by Biljana Jovanovic from Pixabay

Physically distance yourself from your phone and apps

When you’re at home and have free time, put your phone in a drawer or somewhere you can’t see it. Oftentimes limiting the ability to quickly and easily pick up your phone is enough to keep you off of social media, said Agarwal. If your phone is what keeps your hands from fidgeting, try to have some objects around the house that relieve stress, like a stress ball, fidget toy or yarn and crochet hooks.

Hide your social media apps on your phone by placing the app on the second or third page of your home screen or bury the app inside an “app folder” with a bunch of others. When you’re waiting in line or have a free five minutes, instead of grabbing your phone — take in the view, practice some breathing exercises or read a book.

Image by Kiều Trường from Pixabay

Benefits of taking a social media break

Ever hear of “text neck?” It’s the result of looking down at our phones when scrolling or texting, straining the neck muscles over a long period of time. Taking a break from social media helps relieve neck pain and gives your eyes a break from bright screens.

People may also be more connected than ever through social media, but a 2018 University of Pennsylvania study found that people who limit their time on social media experience less depression and feelings of loneliness.

Taking a break from social media will give you better sleep, too. Research suggests that nighttime use of social media is driven by FOMO (fear of missing out), and keeps people scrolling longer at night instead of going to sleep.

Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay

Reevaluate what you want out of social media

What is the reason that brought you onto social media? This is the question Agarwal said to ask yourself when trying to figure out if it’s time to take a social media break. If you’re not getting the same satisfaction from the reason you use social media, it may be time to look for alternatives.

If you joined social media to…

1. Find community: Look for clubs and groups in your neighborhood where you can meet and interact with others IRL (in real life).

2. Be inspired: Consume other forms of media like magazines, books, podcasts, movies or live events.

3. Buy and sell things: Try using other apps, like OfferUp or NextDoor, or visiting local events and marketplaces in person.

Image by Firmbee from Pixabay

Two and a half hours.

Two and a half hours — that’s the average amount of time people spend on social media each day.

It may not sound like a lot, but that time can really add up — and at what cost? Social media has proven negative effects on mental health (especially for teens), self-image and for some is a huge time-waster.

University of Penn’s Anish Agarwal, an emergency physician, researcher, and deputy director for the Center for Digital Health, said it’s important to constantly be reevaluating the role social media plays in daily life.

The bottom line: taking a break from social media is healthy for you. Read on for guidance and tools to help you limit screen time on these apps.

Dreamstime/TNS

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SAN FRANCISCO – Alan Varela and William Gilmartin III appeared in federal court today and each pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.  Gilmartin further agreed in his plea agreement to cooperate with federal investigators in the San Francisco City Hall corruption investigation. 

“Contractors with San Francisco like Alan Varela, William Gilmartin, and their ilk are not off the radar of our San Francisco City Hall corruption investigation just because they are not public officials,” said Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds.  “If you bribe a public official and our investigation uncovers it, you will face justice.  Involved individuals who come to the FBI with what they know about bribes and kickbacks will be treated differently than those who don’t and get caught.”

“The investigation into San Francisco city government continues and we believe there are even more city employees and contractors who may have pertinent first-hand knowledge of the insidious corruption plaguing San Francisco,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. “Instead of waiting for the FBI to knock on your door, we encourage others who have knowledge of this corruption to reach out to us and cooperate with our investigation.”

Today’s developments follow the September 17, 2020, federal complaint charging Varela, 59, of Orinda, and Gilmartin, 60, of San Mateo, with bribery of a public official.  According to that complaint affidavit, Varela and Gilmartin, the president and vice-president of a Bay Area civil engineering and construction firm, respectively, provided gifts and benefits to Mohammed Nuru, then Director of San Francisco’s Department of Public Works (DPW), in exchange for inside information about an upcoming lucrative San Francisco public contract.  Varela and Gilmartin were the seventh and eighth defendants charged in the federal San Francisco City Hall graft probe that has to this date charged a dozen defendants.

Varela’s plea agreement expounds on those complaint allegations.  Varela admitted in his plea agreement that from 2013 until January 28, 2020 (the day of Nuru’s arrest), he conspired with his co-defendant Gilmartin, Balmore Hernandez – a construction company CEO who earlier pled guilty and is cooperating with the FBI – and others to pay bribes and kickbacks to Nuru.  Nuru’s position as DPW Director provided him great influence over San Francisco public contracts, permits, and construction projects as well as other City departments and private companies requiring contracts from DPW.  The bribes and kickbacks to Nuru were intended to influence his conduct in official actions.  The items of value Varela and his co-conspirators provided to Nuru included cash, equipment for Nuru’s ranch, free meals and entertainment, and the prospect of portions of the proceeds from the expected awards of City contracts.

Varela further admitted that he and his co-conspirators focused on winning a DPW contract and a related Port of San Francisco lease to operate an asphalt recycling plant and a concrete plant on the Port of San Francisco’s land.  According to Varela’s plea agreement, Nuru agreed in exchange for cash and other valuables to use his official position to get Varela and his co-conspirators’ bid selected.  Nuru began sending early drafts of San Francisco’s Request for Proposals for the asphalt recycling plant project as well as other inside information to Varela and his co-conspirators to better position them to have their bid selected.  Nuru also regularly met with Gilmartin and Hernandez to discuss the plans over expensive restaurant dinners, always paid for by Gilmartin. 

According to Varela’s plea agreement, Gilmartin arranged to compensate Nuru by asking an unnamed company to award a $100,000 contract to Balmore Hernandez.  The proceeds of that contract were intended to pay Nuru, and Hernandez used the proceeds to benefit Nuru.  Once the co-conspirators’ bid was selected in September 2015, Nuru continued to meet with Varela and the co-conspirators and supply additional inside information, all over meals paid for by Gilmartin that ultimately totaled approximately $20,000.  At one point during discussions, Nuru requested a tractor for his ranch.  Varela admitted that in February 2019 he coordinated with Gilmartin and Hernandez to deliver the tractor to Nuru. 

In January 2020, while the asphalt recycling plant agreements with DPW and the Port of San Francisco were still being finalized, Nuru was arrested.

Gilmartin also pleaded guilty today to the charge of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.  The terms of his plea agreement require Gilmartin to cooperate with the ongoing investigation and surrender assets acquired as a result of his illegal conduct.  The criminal conduct Gilmartin admits was submitted to the Court in a separate “Exhibit A” that is filed under seal and thus unavailable to the public at this time.  

Varela and Gilmartin both entered their guilty pleas before United States District Judge William H. Orrick. Judge Orrick set Varela’s sentencing hearing for September 16, 2021, at 1:30 p.m.  Gilmartin’s next hearing date is a status conference set for December 2, 2021, at 1:30 p.m.

Varela and Gilmartin each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343, 1346 and 1349.  The charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or not more than the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss.  However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the Court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. 

The prosecution is being handled by the Corporate Fraud Strike Force in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California and is the result of an investigation by the FBI. 

The post Northern District of California | Two Metropolis Contractors Plead Responsible To Cost Of Seven Yr Conspiracy To Bribe San Francisco Metropolis Corridor Official appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The more than 400 residents displaced by floods from a Hines-owned apartment tower in San Francisco won’t be at home for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Christmas.

The Houston-based developer told tenants they couldn’t return this year to their apartments at 33 Tehama Street in South of Market, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The residents were forced to evacuate the 35-story luxury tower after two summer floods last year sent more than 20,000 gallons of water cascading through the building. 

Hines has worked 17 months to repair the damage caused by a water main failure atop the 403-unit highrise. 

The firm first told residents they could return to their homes a year ago. It then informed them they could reoccupy the building in the latter half of this year.  Now their homecoming has been pushed into next year.

Hines said the city will make a final inspection of the building’s restoration in December. It would then have “more clarity about the return process.”

“We appreciate your ongoing patience,” Hines told residents in an email. “Please know that we are making every effort to provide as much certainty as possible around schedules and return timing.

“We are focused on preparing for your return and we look forward to welcoming you home.”

Permits issued by the city Department of Building Inspection last year suggest the cost of repairs to common areas and 93 water-damaged apartments is more than $7 million. 

It’s not known how many residents plan to return. Tenants were initially upset about Hines’ dispatches during and after the floods. Last fall, residents filed a second lawsuit, alleging unfair business practices. 

The initial lawsuit alleged chronic mismanagement and deception on the part of Hines. Tenants said building managers knew the building had plumbing problems and failed to fix them. They sued for negligence, tenants’ rights and violations of health and safety codes.

Both suits seek unspecified damages caused by bursting water pipes on the 35th floor in June and August of last year, flooding hallways and apartments on multiple floors below.

With little time to grab pets or belongings, tenants were sent scrambling to nearby hotels. The building was red-tagged by city officials and renters haven’t returned since.

A Hines representative denied all of the allegations in both legal complaints, saying the company has “worked tirelessly to repair the building.”

Hines said residents will have 45 days to return once their apartments become available for occupancy.

In the next few weeks, the firm will work on “needed upgrades and necessary repairs to the entrance, lobby area, amenity floors and other restoration tasks,” the developer said. 

“We are optimistic the inspections will run smoothly and on schedule as the last step in getting you back into your home,” Hines said in its email to residents.

Hines, a global real estate powerhouse, and Atlanta-based Investco, developed 33 Tehama in 2018. The green glass tower, scored with balconies on either side, was designed by Miami-based Arquitectonica, with Lendlease Group serving as the general contractor.

— Dana Bartholomew

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FILE – The Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is seen June 1, 2023, in Avila Beach, Calif. The power plant was scheduled to close by 2025. But the Legislature changed course in September 2022 and opened a path for the reactors to keep running. On Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, operator Pacific Gas & Electric asked federal regulators to extend the plant’s operation while, supporters and critics clashed at a state hearing on Diablo Canyon’s future. (Laura Dickinson/The Tribune via AP, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than a year after California endorsed a proposal to extend the lifespan of its last nuclear power plant, disputes continue to swirl about the safety of its decades-old reactors, whether more than $1 billion in public financing for the extension could be in jeopardy and even if the electricity is needed in the dawning age of renewables.

Late last month, a state judge tentatively approved the blueprint to keep the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant operating for an additional five years, until 2030. The proposal, which could get finalized later this month, imposed several conditions, including that federal nuclear safety regulators greenlight the longer run and that a state loan supporting the extension is not canceled.

The twin reactors, located midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, began operating in the mid-1980s. They supply up to 9% of the state’s electricity on any given day.

Environmentalists argue California has adequate power without the reactors and that their continued operation could hinder development of new sources of clean energy. They also warn that long-delayed testing on one of the reactors poses a safety risk that could result in an accident, a claim disputed by operator Pacific Gas & Electric.

Public Utilities Commission Administrative Law Judge Ehren D. Seybert’s proposed ruling did not directly address yet another question: Whether a past felony conviction against PG&E might pose an obstacle to the government financing for the extension.

California is the birthplace of the modern environmental movement and for decades has had a fraught relationship with nuclear power. In 2016, PG&E, environmental groups and plant worker unions reached an agreement to close Diablo Canyon by 2025. But the Legislature voided the deal last year at the urging of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said the power is needed to ward off blackouts as climate change stresses the energy system.

PG&E says it wants to keep the plant open to “ensure statewide electrical reliability and combat climate change” at the direction of the state. But the plant has to clear a series of state and federal regulatory hurdles, and it remains in dispute how much ratepayers will ultimately have to pay to keep it open.

On Tuesday, the same day that PG&E submitted its application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to keep the reactors running, supporters and critics clashed in a state utilities commission hearing over whether the plan is a sound investment or a financially reckless gamble. The utility is seeking a 20-year extension, typical in the industry, but emphasized the state would control how long the plant runs.

Matthew Freedman, an attorney with the advocacy group The Utility Reform Network, told regulators that PG&E was looking for a “blank check” from ratepayers.

The fight is playing out as the long-struggling nuclear industry sees a potential rebirth in the era of global warming. Nuclear power doesn’t produce carbon pollution like fossil fuels, but it leaves behind waste that can remain dangerously radioactive for centuries.

In September, environmental and anti-nuclear groups called on federal regulators to shut down one of Diablo Canyon’s reactors. Friends of the Earth and Mothers for Peace said in a petition filed with the NRC that tests and inspections have been delayed for nearly 20 years on a pressure vessel in the Unit 1 reactor. They also argued that the steel wall in Unit 1 might be deteriorating from sustained exposure to radiation and is becoming susceptible to cracking, a condition technically known as embrittlement.

The pressure vessels are thick steel containers that hold nuclear fuel and cooling water in the reactors. The NRC took no action on the request and instead asked agency staff to review it.

PG&E has maintained the plant is safe, an assessment endorsed by the NRC.

PG&E was expected to begin embrittlement testing on the vessel last month, with the plant shut down for refueling. But it told legislators that workers couldn’t remove samples inside the vessel because they did not have the correct equipment to access them.

PG&E has said workers would try again during the next refueling period, which could be as much as two years away. Once removed, evaluating the material can take another year. Under that scenario, it’s possible that information might not be available until after state reviews are completed and the NRC has considered the utility’s request for extended licenses.

State Sen. John Laird and Assembly member Dawn Addis, both Democrats, urged PG&E to determine if alternative testing can be used. In a letter to the utility, they lamented the lost opportunity to answer “allegations that the vessel is dangerously embrittled.”

Financing questions also have emerged.

In 2016, a federal jury found PG&E guilty of multiple felonies for failing to properly inspect gas pipelines before a 2010 blast that incinerated a neighborhood in San Bruno, south of San Francisco, killing eight people. Federal rules generally prohibit the government from entering into a contract with any corporation with a federal felony conviction, though exceptions can be made.

The Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, an anti-nuclear group, has alleged that PG&E failed to disclose its conviction before it received conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Energy last year for $1.1 billion in funding for the extension.

Both the Energy Department and PG&E declined to answer directly when asked by The Associated Press if the conviction was disclosed to the department. DOE spokesman Chad Smith said in an email that “DOE is in active discussions” with the utility, without providing further specifics. PG&E said it is eligible for the money because it already received conditional approval last year.

The Biden administration gave preliminary approval for the Energy Department funding in November. The financing came through the administration’s civil nuclear credit program, which is intended to bail out financially distressed owners or operators of nuclear power reactors as part of the administration’s effort to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, compared with 2005 levels.

The alliance said that if a failure to disclose the conviction is confirmed, PG&E could see its hopes for a longer run at Diablo Canyon extinguished — and possibly expose the company to penalties. Also at risk could be a $1.4 billion, forgivable state loan authorized by the Legislature, the alliance said, which is expected to be paid back with the federal funds. ___ This story has been corrected to show the state senator’s name is John Laird, not Robert Laird.

The post Disputes over security, price swirl a 12 months after California OK’d plan to maintain final nuke plant working | KWKT appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than a year after California endorsed a proposal to extend the lifespan of its last nuclear power plant, disputes continue to swirl about the safety of its decades-old reactors, whether more than $1 billion in public financing for the extension could be in jeopardy and even if the electricity is needed in the dawning age of renewables.

Late last month, a state judge tentatively approved the blueprint to keep the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant operating for an additional five years, until 2030. The proposal, which could get finalized later this month, imposed several conditions, including that federal nuclear safety regulators greenlight the longer run and that a state loan supporting the extension is not canceled.

The twin reactors, located midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, began operating in the mid-1980s. They supply up to 9% of the state’s electricity on any given day.

Environmentalists argue California has adequate power without the reactors and that their continued operation could hinder development of new sources of clean energy. They also warn that long-delayed testing on one of the reactors poses a safety risk that could result in an accident, a claim disputed by operator Pacific Gas & Electric.

Public Utilities Commission Administrative Law Judge Ehren D. Seybert’s proposed ruling did not directly address yet another question: Whether a past felony conviction against PG&E might pose an obstacle to the government financing for the extension.

California is the birthplace of the modern environmental movement and for decades has had a fraught relationship with nuclear power. In 2016, PG&E, environmental groups and plant worker unions reached an agreement to close Diablo Canyon by 2025. But the Legislature voided the deal last year at the urging of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said the power is needed to ward off blackouts as climate change stresses the energy system.

PG&E says it wants to keep the plant open to “ensure statewide electrical reliability and combat climate change” at the direction of the state. But the plant has to clear a series of state and federal regulatory hurdles, and it remains in dispute how much ratepayers will ultimately have to pay to keep it open.

On Tuesday, the same day that PG&E submitted its application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to keep the reactors running, supporters and critics clashed in a state utilities commission hearing over whether the plan is a sound investment or a financially reckless gamble. The utility is seeking a 20-year extension, typical in the industry, but emphasized the state would control how long the plant runs.

Matthew Freedman, an attorney with the advocacy group The Utility Reform Network, told regulators that PG&E was looking for a “blank check” from ratepayers.

The fight is playing out as the long-struggling nuclear industry sees a potential rebirth in the era of global warming. Nuclear power doesn’t produce carbon pollution like fossil fuels, but it leaves behind waste that can remain dangerously radioactive for centuries.

In September, environmental and anti-nuclear groups called on federal regulators to shut down one of Diablo Canyon’s reactors. Friends of the Earth and Mothers for Peace said in a petition filed with the NRC that tests and inspections have been delayed for nearly 20 years on a pressure vessel in the Unit 1 reactor. They also argued that the steel wall in Unit 1 might be deteriorating from sustained exposure to radiation and is becoming susceptible to cracking, a condition technically known as embrittlement.

The pressure vessels are thick steel containers that hold nuclear fuel and cooling water in the reactors. The NRC took no action on the request and instead asked agency staff to review it.

PG&E has maintained the plant is safe, an assessment endorsed by the NRC.

PG&E was expected to begin embrittlement testing on the vessel last month, with the plant shut down for refueling. But it told legislators that workers couldn’t remove samples inside the vessel because they did not have the correct equipment to access them.

PG&E has said workers would try again during the next refueling period, which could be as much as two years away. Once removed, evaluating the material can take another year. Under that scenario, it’s possible that information might not be available until after state reviews are completed and the NRC has considered the utility’s request for extended licenses.

State Sen. John Laird and Assembly member Dawn Addis, both Democrats, urged PG&E to determine if alternative testing can be used. In a letter to the utility, they lamented the lost opportunity to answer “allegations that the vessel is dangerously embrittled.”

Financing questions also have emerged.

In 2016, a federal jury found PG&E guilty of multiple felonies for failing to properly inspect gas pipelines before a 2010 blast that incinerated a neighborhood in San Bruno, south of San Francisco, killing eight people. Federal rules generally prohibit the government from entering into a contract with any corporation with a federal felony conviction, though exceptions can be made.

The Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, an anti-nuclear group, has alleged that PG&E failed to disclose its conviction before it received conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Energy last year for $1.1 billion in funding for the extension.

Both the Energy Department and PG&E declined to answer directly when asked by The Associated Press if the conviction was disclosed to the department. DOE spokesman Chad Smith said in an email that “DOE is in active discussions” with the utility, without providing further specifics. PG&E said it is eligible for the money because it already received conditional approval last year.

The Biden administration gave preliminary approval for the Energy Department funding in November. The financing came through the administration’s civil nuclear credit program, which is intended to bail out financially distressed owners or operators of nuclear power reactors as part of the administration’s effort to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, compared with 2005 levels.

The alliance said that if a failure to disclose the conviction is confirmed, PG&E could see its hopes for a longer run at Diablo Canyon extinguished — and possibly expose the company to penalties. Also at risk could be a $1.4 billion, forgivable state loan authorized by the Legislature, the alliance said, which is expected to be paid back with the federal funds. ___ This story has been corrected to show the state senator’s name is John Laird, not Robert Laird.

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File – A pile of characters removed from a sign on the Twitter headquarters building are seen in San Francisco, Monday, July 24, 2023. One year ago, Elon Musk began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X. (AP Photo/Godofredo A.Vásquez, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One year ago, billionaire and new owner Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters with a white bathroom sink and a grin, fired its CEO and other top executives and began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X.

X looks and feels something like Twitter, but the more time you spend on it the clearer it becomes that it’s merely an approximation. Musk has dismantled core features of what made Twitter, Twitter — its name and blue bird logo, its verification system, its Trust and Safety advisory group. Not to mention content moderation and hate speech enforcement.

He also fired, laid off or lost the majority of its workforce — engineers who keep the site running, moderators who keep it from being overrun with hate, executives in charge of making rules and enforcing them.

The result, long-term Twitter watchers say, has been the end of the platform’s role as an imperfect but useful place to find out what’s going on in the world. What X will become, and whether Musk can achieve his ambition of turning it into an “everything app” that everyone uses, remains as unclear as it was a year ago.

“Musk hasn’t managed to make a single meaningful improvement to the platform and is no closer to his vision of an ‘everything app,’ than he was a year ago,” said Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg. “Instead, X has driven away users, advertisers, and now it has lost its primary value proposition in the social media world: Being a central hub for news.”

As one of the platform’s most popular and prolific users even before he bought the company, Musk had a unique experience on Twitter that is markedly different from how regular users experience it. But many of the changes he’s introduced to X has been based on his own impressions of the site — in fact, he even polled his millions of followers for advice on how to run it (they said he should step down).

“Musk’s treatment of the platform as a technology company that he could remake in his vision rather than a social network fueled by people and ad dollars has been the single largest cause of the demise of Twitter,” Enberg said.

The blue checkmarks that once signified that the person or institution behind an account was who they said they are — a celebrity, athlete, journalist from global or local publication, a nonprofit agency — now merely shows that someone pays $8 a month for a subscription service that boosts their posts above un-checked users. It’s these paying accounts that have been found to spread misinformation on the platform that is often amplified by its algorithms.

On Thursday, for instance, a new report from the left-leaning nonprofit Media Matters found that numerous blue-checked X accounts with tens of thousands of followers claimed that the mass shooting in Maine was a “false flag,” planned by the government. Researchers also found such accounts spreading misinformation and propaganda about the Israel-Hamas war — so much so that the European Commission made a formal, legally binding request for information to X over its handling of hate speech, misinformation and violent terrorist content related to the war.

Ian Bremmer, a prominent foreign policy expert, posted on X this month that the level of disinformation on the Israel-Hamas war “being algorithmically promoted” on the platform “is unlike anything I’ve ever been exposed to in my career as a political scientist.”

It’s not just the platform’s identity that’s on shaky grounds. Twitter was already struggling financially when Musk purchased it for $44 billion in a deal that closed Oct. 27, 2022, and the situation appears more precarious today. Musk took the company private, so its books are no longer public — but in July, the Tesla CEO said the company had lost about half of its advertising revenue and continues to face a large debt load.

“We’re still negative cash flow,” he posted on the site on July 14, due to about a “50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load.”

“Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else,” he said.

In May, Musk hired Linda Yaccarino, a former NBC executive with deep ties to the advertising industry in an attempt to lure back top brands, but the effort has been slow to pay off. While some advertisers have returned to X, they are not spending as much as they did in the past — despite a rebound in the online advertising market that boosted the most recent quarterly profits for Facebook parent company, Meta, and Google parent company, Alphabet.

Insider Intelligence estimates that X will bring in $1.89 billion in advertising revenue this year, down 54% from 2022. The last time its ad revenue was near this level was in 2015, when it came in at $1.99 billion. In 2022, it was $4.12 billion according to the research firm’s estimates.

Outside research also shows that people are using X less.

According to research firm Similarweb, global web traffic to Twitter.com was down 14%, year-over-year, and traffic to the ads.twitter.com portal for advertisers was down 16.5%. Performance on mobile was no better, down 17.8% year-over-year based on combined monthly active users for Apple’s iOS and Android.

“Even though the cultural relevance of Twitter was already starting to decline,” before Musk took it over, “it’s as if the platform no longer exists. And it’s been a death by a thousand cuts,” Enberg said.

“What’s really fascinating is that almost all of the wounds have been self-inflicted. Usually when a social platform, starts to lose its relevance there are at least some external factors at play, but that’s not the case here.”

The post Twitter takeover: 1 12 months later, X struggles with misinformation, promoting and utilization decline appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One year ago, billionaire and new owner Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters with a white bathroom sink and a grin, fired its CEO and other top executives and began transforming the social media platform into what is now known as X.

X looks and feels something like Twitter, but the more time you spend on it the clearer it becomes that it’s merely an approximation. Musk has dismantled core features of what made Twitter, Twitter — its name and blue bird logo, its verification system, its Trust and Safety advisory group. Not to mention content moderation and hate speech enforcement.

He also fired, laid off or lost the majority of its workforce — engineers who keep the site running, moderators who keep it from being overrun with hate, executives in charge of making rules and enforcing them.

The result, long-term Twitter watchers say, has been the end of the platform’s role as an imperfect but useful place to find out what’s going on in the world. What X will become, and whether Musk can achieve his ambition of turning it into an “everything app” that everyone uses, remains as unclear as it was a year ago.

“Musk hasn’t managed to make a single meaningful improvement to the platform and is no closer to his vision of an ‘everything app,’ than he was a year ago,” said Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg. “Instead, X has driven away users, advertisers, and now it has lost its primary value proposition in the social media world: Being a central hub for news.”

As one of the platform’s most popular and prolific users even before he bought the company, Musk had a unique experience on Twitter that is markedly different from how regular users experience it. But many of the changes he’s introduced to X has been based on his own impressions of the site — in fact, he even polled his millions of followers for advice on how to run it (they said he should step down).

“Musk’s treatment of the platform as a technology company that he could remake and his vision rather than a social network fueled by people and ad dollars has been the single largest cause of the demise of Twitter,” Enberg said.

The blue checkmarks that once signified that the person or institution behind an account was who they said they are — a celebrity, athlete, journalist from global or local publication, a nonprofit agency — now merely shows that someone pays $8 a month for a subscription service that boosts their posts above un-checked users. It’s these paying accounts that have been found to spread misinformation on the platform that is often amplified by its algorithms.

On Thursday, for instance, a new report from the left-leaning nonprofit Media Matters found that numerous blue-checked X accounts with tens of thousands of followers claimed that the mass shooting in Maine was a “false flag,” planned by the government. Researchers also found such accounts spreading misinformation and propaganda about the Israel-Hamas war — so much so that the European Commission made a formal, legally binding request for information to X over its handling of hate speech, misinformation and violent terrorist content related to the war.

Ian Bremmer, a prominent foreign policy expert, posted on X this month that the level of disinformation on the Israel-Hamas war “being algorithmically promoted” on the platform “is unlike anything I’ve ever been exposed to in my career as a political scientist.”

It’s not just the platform’s identity that’s on shaky grounds. Twitter was already struggling financially when Musk purchased it for $44 billion in a deal that closed Oct. 27, 2022, and the situation appears more precarious today. Musk took the company private, so its books are no longer public — but in July, the Tesla CEO said the company had lost about half of its advertising revenue and continues to face a large debt load.

“We’re still negative cash flow,” he posted on the site on July 14, due to a about a “50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load.”

“Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else,” he said.

In May, Musk hired Linda Yaccarino, a former NBC executive with deep ties to the advertising industry in an attempt to lure back top brands, but the effort has been slow to pay off. While some advertisers have returned to X, they are not spending as much as they did in the past — despite a rebound in the online advertising market that boosted the most recent quarterly profits for Facebook parent company, Meta, and Google parent company, Alphabet.

Insider Intelligence estimates that X will bring in $1.89 billion in advertising revenue this year, down 54% from 2022. The last time its ad revenue was near this level was in 2015, when it came in at $1.99 billion. In 2022, it was $4.12 billion.

Outside research also shows that people are using X less.

According to research firm Similarweb, global web traffic to Twitter.com was down 14%, year-over-year, and traffic to the ads.twitter.com portal for advertisers was down 16.5%. Performance on mobile was no better, down 17.8% year-over-year based on combined monthly active users for Apple’s iOS and Android.

“Even though the cultural relevance of Twitter was already starting to decline,” before Musk took it over, “it’s as if the platform no longer exists. And it’s been a death by a thousand cuts,” Enberg said.

“What’s really fascinating is that almost all of the wounds have been self-inflicted. Usually when a social platform, starts to lose its relevance there are at least some external factors at play, but that’s not the case here.”

The post Twitter takeover: 1 yr later, X struggles with misinformation, promoting and utilization decline appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.